A child cruelty case against the coach of former Britain's Got Talent winners Spelbound has been dropped.

Neil Griffiths, of Cumberland Road, Ashford, was charged in May with five counts of child cruelty and had been due to appear at Isleworth Crown Court on September 24.

But the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it had decided to drop the case against the gymnastics instructor following the emergence of fresh medical evidence.

The charges related to a period between 2005 and 2014 and involved three alleged victims, one male and two female, all of whom were aged under 16 at the time.

Mr Griffiths, 42, has been head coach at Heathrow Gymnastics Club in Hounslow, and the allegations were thought to have centred on the west London club.

Spelbound, who triumphed in Britain's Got Talent in 2010, started life at Spelthorne Gymnastics Club in Ashford.

A CPS spokeswoman said: "We have a duty under the Code for Crown Prosecutors to keep cases under continuous review.

"Following receipt of further medical evidence, we reviewed this case and concluded that there is insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction. We have therefore discontinued this case."

Mr Griffiths was reported by the Telegraph as saying he had been through 18 months of hell and the matter should not have been allowed to "drag on".